On my desk are three pieces of paper. At first glance, they're just part of the general clutter of mail, magazines, CDs, product brochures and the remote control. Some of these things demand attention, others are attended to when I have time and the third group come to the fore when I'd rather not think about the first two.
But these three pieces of paper are quite different because they're ballots and they're separate from the rest of the clutter because I've read and re-read the words on them that frame the issue that I'm supposed to vote on.
Fidelity Investments 401K:
"THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES RECOMMENDS A VOTE AGAINST THE FOLLOWING:
Shareholder proposal... concerning procedures to prevent holding investments in companies that, in the judgment of the Board, substantially contribute to genocide or crimes against humanity."
Fidelity Investments actually produced a ballot recommending that I choose to make a few bucks (really, they mean not losing quite so many bucks) knowing that someone, or several someones, might die to support my retirement. What a happy thought! People in Africa will die not knowing that the price of their life is a round of golf in my golden years.
Seriously? That's not a choice any human being should present or have to make. What night-of-the-living-dead zombie would even pose such an obsene choice? That's right... the Board of Trustees at Fidelity Investments.
These three pieces of paper have been on my desk for almost a week... not because I'm at all unsure how I will vote, but because I'm disgusted and astonished and dumbfounded that I have to cast such a vote at all. I read the words over and over because it's just so incomprehensible.
FWIW - I can't touch my Fidelity 401K for a few more months. My previous company was sold and the accounts are frozen... which really means bleeding money and we can't do anything about it.
Bleeding money... and apparently, someone else's blood.
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